Ham retailers and Multiple Credit Card swipes.

This is why I normally use a prepaid credit card for phone/online orders. I'll add the funds to the card for whatever the order amount is, that way, once they get it, it's gone and there's only a couple bucks remaining that they (or anyone else) could get.

Works great at restaurants too, no more worry about having my REAL debit/credit card number stolen.

Not sure why people just don't stick with known reputable retailers like HRO and DX Engineering that actually have the item in stock instead of using drop shippers that tend to screw up the order or add unnecessary "processing time" to the order?

I've had many dealings with Universal Radio over the years and they have always been accurate and professional. They have been around for decades (you don't pull that off as a business unless you are doing something right). Perhaps this is an isolated incident.

Here is how this works for some retailers, especially if you are ordering today and they aren't shipping for a few days. It is much like booking a hotel room.

First, you place you order and your Card is run and authenticated and approved for the Amount. No money changes hands although, this will show as a hold on your account. This is for money you have promised to pay. This is the same when you check into a hotel room and they put a hold on your funds. This hold does come out of your available credit.

At some point later, the online vendor captures the funds. It is at this point the funds are marked for deposit int the Vendors account for that evening.

I am not sure what happened at this vendor you speak of, but I would give them a call. I suspect they had an issue and it does happen. I would also talk to you bank if you have not done so already.

To be honest, one year MFJ butchered by transaction so many times the bank thought it was fraud and cancelled my card on the spot. This was a painful issue for me as I was at Dayton and still needed to buy gas to get home. When I talked to MFJ about it, the had no clue how the banking system works with credit cards.

In the end, it is the Vendor that takes ALL the risk on an online sale. I have friends who have online cottage industries and about once a week, Visa just takes the money back because the customer claimed he didn't receive his order. Read carefully, the Vendor, not the buyer.